


Christmas Dinner Not Made For Tired And Weary Souls

by HellsLittleLiar



Series: O let me, true in love, but truly write [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Abuse, Established Relationship, Gaslighting, M/M, Modern Era, Self-Esteem Issues, and pining, but they've been together for two years, dw Geralt is going to take care of our boy, mentions of abuse, previous Jaskier/Valdo relationship, self-deprecating thoughts, they're both insecure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27439435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellsLittleLiar/pseuds/HellsLittleLiar
Summary: Jaskier goes to Christmas dinner with his family because he feels like he has to. This year, his partner, Geralt, has decided to come along and find out what is so upsetting about being there.Geralt is not very happy with the way Jaskier's family treats him and, for the first time in his life, uses his words to fix things.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: O let me, true in love, but truly write [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024696
Comments: 38
Kudos: 443





	Christmas Dinner Not Made For Tired And Weary Souls

It was an understatement to say Jaskier didn’t get along with his family, or perhaps the more accurate statement was that his family didn’t get along with him. He had no idea why Geralt was insistent on meeting them, especially at the annual family Christmas party where it always seemed they had been saving things up all year to throw at Jaskier. He and Geralt had been in a relationship for almost two years and Geralt had started grumbling about spending the holiday apart from each other. No matter how much Jaskier despised the thought of Geralt meeting his family and hearing every mean and terrible thing they said about him, he couldn’t refuse his darling lover this one simple request. Geralt had actually said out loud that he missed him.

“But I miss you when you’re gone.” Geralt had mumbled, pink tinting his cheeks as though admitting he had any feelings at all was terribly embarrassing. How could Jaskier ever resist something like that? His darling had finally asked for something he wanted instead of bottling everything up inside, instead of grunting and hoping that Jaskier would guess at what he wanted. Of course Jaskier would give him anything he wanted, anything he asked for, even if it was meeting the rest of Jaskier’s family.

The only problem with Geralt meeting Jaskier’s family was that his parents and siblings always ruined everything. They blocked all of Jaskier’s life plans, forced him to drop out of university because they didn’t approve of studying music as a career and scared off anyone he brought home with their cutting remarks and snide looks. The only partner he had ever brought home that hadn’t been frightened off by his family was Valdo Marx. Valdo had actually gotten along with his sister, Geraldine, so well that they’d fallen into bed together while he and Jaskier were still dating. He had forgiven Valdo for so many worse things than sleeping with his sister, but it was somehow the straw that broke the camel’s back, the final thing that made Jaskier decide to finally leave him. Of course, when anybody else experiences a breakup, they don’t usually have to see that person ever again, but Jaskier was never that lucky. Valdo took the breakup incredibly well and immediately began seriously dating Geraldine. Jaskier was forced to see him at every family gathering since then. Valdo had well and truly fucked Jaskier up and it hadn’t been until Geralt came along that he’d even began to recover his self-esteem.

Geralt, oblivious to Jaskier’s anxiety about the situation, was going to meet his fucking parents and his fucking sister and his fucking ex-boyfriend. Jaskier was beginning to regret telling Geralt everything about he and Valdo’s relationship. He would probably want to talk to Valdo and then Valdo would tell him everything that made being with Jaskier terrible and point out how much of a terrible partner Jaskier is. Then Geralt was going to leave him forever, heartbroken. It had been a good two years, he sighed wistfully, and he wasn’t yet ready for it to end.

Jaskier pulled a burnt apple pie out of the oven and started sobbing. Why couldn’t he do anything right? Valdo had been right when he called Jaskier useless. He was so stupid he couldn’t even make a pie correctly. He was a stupid waste of space who wasn’t good for anything.

“Jaskier?” Geralt appeared in the doorway as though summoned by Jaskier’s self-deprecating thoughts. “What’s the matter?”

He glared at the burnt pie as though it was the actual cause of Jaskier’s distress and wrapped his arms around Jaskier protectively. Jaskier sniffed in an effort to get his streaming tears under control.

“Do you remember when you said my singing was like fillingless pie?”

“You know I didn’t mean it like-”

“Maybe I should just take a pie without any filling to Christmas dinner and then they won’t invite me next year and I’ll never see them again. Then it might hurt less when you dump me because at least I won’t have to be reminded of all the reasons. I think that it’s a good plan, what do you think?”

Geralt’s arms tightened around Jaskier’s waist. “Beloved, I am not leaving you.”

“Sure, you’re not right now, but you haven’t met my family yet.”

“No, not ever. I shall not leave you as long as you wish to stay with me.”

“Forever, then?”

“Forever.”

Jaskier sunk into Geralt’s embrace and attempted to believe him. For one precious, wonderful moment, it almost worked.

* * *

He trembled as he walked up the long drive to his family’s estate. Neither of them owned a car (a fact frowned upon by his parents) because Jaskier lived in an apartment above his music shop and Geralt preferred not to “pollute the environment any further” and spent all the money he would use on a car on his gorgeous horse, Roach, instead. He ignored the several sports cars and limousines waiting in the large driveway.

Geralt must have noticed his shivering, as he put an arm around Jaskier’s shoulders and tugged him to press up against his side. Jaskier sighed into the warmth and carefully carried the unburnt pie which Geralt had helped him make. They reached the large, antique door and Geralt knocked loudly on the wood with more force and confidence than Jaskier had ever used around his family.

It was his mother who answered the door. Even though his parents did not treat Jaskier well, they did let the household staff have the holidays off. That was one of the reasons Jaskier realised they weren’t actually bad people, which meant that how they treated him must be his fault. That was somewhat of a relief to discover because it meant that if he changed enough, if he corrected his behaviour well, then his parents could maybe love him almost as much as they loved his brothers and sisters.

For now, though, Mrs Pankratz looked down her nose at them and Jaskier felt infinitesimally small. “Oh… Julian. Another pumpkin pie? Can’t you ever put any effort into what you do? This is why you’ve never managed to get anything done with your life. Well, come in then, what are you standing there for? Are you waiting for marching orders? Can’t you ever think for yourself? Honestly, it’s a good thing your father and I are still around or you’d never survive, just standing around until someone tells you what to do.”

Jaskier blushed and stuttered. He thought he’d been doing so well. He had brought her favourite dessert and his partner, like she had been nagging him to do for years, but she still wasn’t happy. What had he missed?

Geralt, unlike Jaskier, for the first time in their relationship, had no problem forming words. “It’s apple pie. Jaskier made it from scratch after you requested it because he thought it would make you happy. We cannot enter your home because you are standing in the doorway.”

Mrs Pankratz scowled at Geralt and opened her mouth to go on a tirade against his character and etiquette that would be completely untrue but would surely upset him just the same. If his mother got started, Jaskier wouldn’t be able to find his voice and defend his darling. He leapt in quickly.

“Mother, this is my partner, Geralt. I told you I would be bringing him, remember?”

“No, you never mentioned him, Julian. Honestly, you’re so terribly scatter-brained, you would lose your own head if it weren’t attached.”

He knew he could be forgetful at times and would sometimes get distracted in the middle of conversations or lock himself out by forgetting his keys. He also knew for a fact he had told his mother that Geralt would be attending Christmas dinner because he had written it down on his calendar and in his phone notes and asked Geralt to remind him to do it. And Geralt never forgot anything and did remind him to do it, then reminded him afterwards that he had already told her.

“We can leave.” Geralt offered politely and Jaskier wondered who “we” was. Had Geralt brought someone with him? No, that would be silly, Jaskier would have seen them. That meant the only logical option was that… he was suggesting Jaskier leave with him. He couldn’t do that! They’d only just arrived and his mother would be so upset with him if he didn’t sit through the whole dinner and help clean up everyone’s plates afterwards.

“Of course you mustn’t leave.” She waved off the suggestion like it was a disgusting fly hovering around her head. “Do come in, we can tell you all about what Julian was like as a child. He used to be such a good boy, you know, never talked too much or disobeyed us like he does now. Honestly I have no idea what went wrong with him, all his siblings turned out so well.”

Geralt narrowed his eyes at her. “Why would I want to hear that? It sounds incredibly boring. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a good story about a well behaved child.”

“Geralt!” Jaskier hissed, desperately willing him to be quiet. What did he think he was doing? He was going to make mother mad and then she’d tell the rest of his family and they would do their best to punish him and make him miserable. It may even be worse than the first year he brought Valdo, when Valdo had grabbed him by the hair and shoved his face into the pie he had made because it didn’t live up to his impossible standards. His parents and siblings had laughed and welcomed Valdo to the family, praising him for knowing how to put little Julian in his place. It had been humiliating. Jaskier hadn’t been allowed to clean his face for the rest of the day, even as he collected everyone’s plates and washed everything down in the kitchen. Then Valdo hadn’t allowed him to eat for two days afterwards, claiming he had been greedy to eat an entire pie to himself, even though Jaskier hadn’t actually eaten any of the pie. That particular story was far too embarrassing to ever bring up, so Jaskier had never mentioned it to Geralt. His lover already knew far too much about that particular terrible relationship.

Geralt, his darling lover, had no idea that he was condemning Jaskier to a terrible fate. It was a small comfort to know that Geralt was too much of a good person to torment him along with the rest of his family before he dumped him and started a relationship with one of his siblings. Obviously, after tonight Geralt would leave him, but he wouldn’t be so cruel about it. He would never hurt someone the same way Valdo did.

“Yes, well, I’m sure you were a horrible brat as a child.”

Jaskier gasped. She didn’t usually insult his partners so directly, preferring to convince them that Jaskier wasn’t worth the effort they put into being with him.

“Hm. Sure I was.” Geralt agreed easily.

His mother huffed in annoyance and snatched the pie away from Jaskier before she stormed off in the direction of the kitchen. Jaskier blinked after her in confusion, wondering what exactly just happened.

* * *

“So, how’s the shop?” Mr Pankratz grunted. Jaskier felt himself light up at the question; the first one his father asked about his life this year. He saw Geralt smile softly at him as he perked up.

“It’s going really well, thank you! I’ve been turning a profit for over a year now and I’ve just started offering evening music lessons-”

His father snorted derisively. “You don’t have to lie to me, boy, I’m your father. We are your family. We know what you’re like. We know how dreadful you are at maths. You never were very clever. There’s no way you’re actually turning a profit on that little shithole of a place you have. You just sit there, twiddling your thumbs, wasting the money I invested in you. You’ve never done a proper days work in your life, boy. You’d better show me the accounts for this shop of yours so I can handle them. God knows you can’t do it by yourself.”

Jaskier hunched his shoulders, curling in on himself, shame burning in his chest. His father was right, of course. Running the shop was difficult and tiring but Jaskier had thought it rewarding and fun, still. He must be doing it wrong, of course, that was why he found it tiring. He thought he’d been turning a profit but he had probably just been doing the accounts wrong, like his father said. He would turn over his paperwork to his father in the morning and get it sorted out properly. His father would pay himself from the business account for his time.

Then he felt a heavy, comforting hand rest on his thigh. He looked up to see Geralt frowning at his father. “Actually that will not be necessary.” Geralt said firmly. “Jaskier took an accounting course last year and has been keeping perfect records. The shop’s been turning enough of a profit for him to hire a full time accountant recently who said they were the most perfect accounts she had ever seen. Your services won’t be required.”

“Well, I never!” His father spluttered indignantly, turning an unflattering shade of puce. “You should watch your tongue, boy.”

“My name is Geralt. Your son’s name is Julian, in case you forgot that as well. Or do you call everyone boy? You could try using our names.”

“I have never been spoken to in such a rude, cavalier manner! Did your mother never teach you to respect your elders?”

To the outside observer, Geralt’s face remained emotionless and unchanged, but Jaskier knew him far too well and noticed the small twitch of his lips as he attempted not to grin smugly. “My mother didn’t have much of an opportunity to teach me anything. She left me on the side of the road when I was six years old and never came back.”

His father coughed awkwardly and looked away. “I… apologise.”

“Hm.”

* * *

Geralt took the opportunity, when Jaskier went to the bathroom, to corner Valdo Marx. He had heard so much about him. From all the terrible stories Jaskier told about him, Geralt had been imagining someone much more intimidating. Instead he found a pathetic little peacock of a man who didn’t know how to treat a partner as incredible as Jaskier.

“So, you’re Valdo Marx.”

“Indeed I am.” The shorter man smirked. “And you must be our dear Julian’s newest fling. Gets a new one practically every week. They tend to overlap, but it’s been so long since he’s brought one around here. He must think you’re a great lay.”

“Interesting you say that, since you’re the one who cheated on him when you were dating and we’ve been in a committed relationship for two years now.”

Geralt was grateful that his beloved Jaskier had headed off to use the bathroom so he wouldn’t have to witness this confrontation. He didn’t want his kind and gentle lover to see how mean and terrifying Geralt could be. He had been very careful during their relationship to treat Jaskier sweetly and gently. He didn’t want Jaskier to fear him, but he did want Marx to fear him.

Valdo scoffed. “If you’ve been with him that long, surely you must know how incredibly draining it is to be with him. One must take comfort breaks every once in a while. As a person, he’s just far too much, wouldn’t you agree?” The smarmy man looked as though he thought Geralt might actually agree.

Geralt scowled and stepped forward, right into Marx’s personal space and leaned in close to the man’s face as he towered above him intimidatingly.

“You’re not going to talk about Jaskier like that ever again.” Geralt ordered. “Do you understand me? You’re not going to talk about him at all, in fact. If you have any more opinions at all, you can keep them to yourself. You think he hasn’t told me about you, about everything you did to him?”

“I haven’t-”

“Shut up, I’m talking now.” Geralt advanced on him, as Marx stumbled backwards until he hit the wall. “You are going to listen to me and then you are going to sit down, shut the fuck up and never interact with Jaskier again. You really thought I didn’t know? Didn’t know about the insults? The threats? The cheating? The guilt trips? The plagiarism of his songs? You thought I didn’t know about the hitting?” He snarled and watched in satisfaction as the acrid stench of piss filled the air.

“You’d better go home and clean up, Marx. Unless you want Geraldine to see you like that.” Geralt nodded to the growing wet patch on the crotch of Valdo’s trousers. Valdo flushed in humiliation and, as soon as Geralt stepped away, shot out of the house like a bullet. Geralt watched him go, feeling incredibly satisfied. He caught sight of his beloved Jaskier, trapped talking to his sister, and walked over to rescue him. Jaskier had Geralt to defend him now; he would never be alone again.

* * *

Jaskier found himself pinned into the corner by his sister as he left the bathroom. Geraldine laughed in a scraping, high pitched tone before she even spoke. “Julian, I didn’t think you could get any more pathetic than you already are, but seriously? Hiring an escort to pretend to be your boyfriend? What are you even trying to do, make Valdy jealous? He’s over you, alright? You can stop throwing yourself at him.”

“He’s not an escort! We’ve been together for two years.”

“Oh, really? Is that the story you’ve decided to feed us? Why have you never brought him before if you’re oh so in love?”

Jaskier felt his face heat up. He hadn’t said anything about love. It was true though, that he was in love with Geralt, painfully, obviously in love. And Jaskier may deserve anything his family said to him, but Geralt didn’t. Geralt was wonderful and perfect and deserved only nice things and for everyone to be nice to him all the time. But the only person here that had any interest in being nice to Geralt was Jaskier, and Jaskier would defend him with his life.

“Because I knew you would react like this!”

“Oh, so now your pathetic love life is my fault? It isn’t any fault of mine that Valdy prefers me over you. Everyone does.”

“Why aren’t you listening to me?” Jaskier snapped, although he already knew why. She never listened, none of them did, because they didn’t care. There was no reason to think she would do so now, except that they were talking about Geralt and everyone should care about Geralt, even though nobody cared about Jaskier. “I don’t give a shit about what Valdo thinks! I’m with Geralt and I have been for two years!”

“Of course you give a shit! You’re always trying to steal him from me!” Geraldine shrieked and raised her hand as though to slap him with the back of it. Jaskier flinched.

“Weren’t you the one who fucked her brother’s boyfriend?” Geralt asked as he appeared behind Geraldine. She jumped and turned to face him, only to be forced to turn again as he walked past her without waiting for an answer and kissed the top of Jaskier’s head. Jaskier closed his eyes and hummed in content. His family hadn’t scared off his darling lover just yet. He would enjoy being with him until the last possible moment.

"Wha- how dare you judge me?” Geraldine snapped. “At least I don’t sleep with people for money!”

“That seems like a weird thing to bring up. It’s rude to be so prejudiced towards sex workers by the way, wasn’t your father claiming he’d brought all of you up with manners?”

“She thinks you’re an escort.” Jaskier blurted out then squeaked and covered his mouth with his hand, blushing.

Geralt blinked in confusion. “Why would she think that?”

“She doesn’t believe we’re dating.” Jaskier smiled at the opportunity to compliment his lover, despite his embarrassment. “You’re way out of my league.”

Geralt cupped Jaskier’s cheek and gently brushed his thumb across the cheekbone. “If anything, you’re out of my league, Beloved.”

Geraldine snorted. “You don’t need to try so hard. I already know you’re not actually dating.”

Geralt finally deigned to look at her. “Aren’t we? Jaskier, why didn’t you tell me? We’ve been going on dates for two years and we’re somehow not even dating?”

“Because we _are dating_ , Geraldine.” Jaskier hissed at his sister. “And I don’t give a _fuck_ if you don’t believe me.”

Geralt ran his fingers through Jaskier’s hair and looked over him with unmistakeable pride across his face. Jaskier felt his spine straighten and his head raise up in response.

“We’ll invite you to the wedding.” Geralt offered, smirking as Jaskier pulled him away.

* * *

“Did you mean that?” Jaskier whispered as they walked away from the encounter.

“What?”

“W-when you said we’d invite Geraldine to the- to our wedding?”

“Hm. Of course not.”

“Oh.” Jaskier deflated. Of course Geralt didn’t mean it like that, simply wanting to shut Jaskier’s sister up. Jaskier shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up like that. He had been so excited about Geralt mentioning marriage, he almost forgot that Geralt was going to dump him soon.

“There’s no way in hell we’re inviting your sister to our wedding.” Geralt confirmed, confidently.

“Oh!” Jaskier felt his heart flutter as he beamed up at his tall, gorgeous boyfriend with large, admiring puppy-dog eyes and clung to Geralt’s arm. Geralt smiled softly down at him.

* * *

“Well, see you next year I suppose.” His mother hurriedly saw them to the door, practically pushing them out in an effort to get rid of them. It was the opposite treatment Jaskier usually got after Christmas dinner, where he was guilted into staying and tidying up after everyone while the rest of them got drunk and had fun without him, shouting at him to bring refills for their drinks and to clean faster.

Jaskier felt the high he had been riding puncture as he considered having to return to his family home next Christmas. Geralt would have, inevitably, left him by then. Nobody would be left to defend him next time around.

“Actually we won’t be attending next Christmas.” Geralt interrupted Jaskier’s spiralling thoughts of horror and self-doubt. “We’ll be spending it with my family. I hope you understand.”

His mother pushed herself up to her full height, which would have been incredibly intimidating to anyone who wasn’t Geralt. She attempted to look down her nose at Geralt, but he was so much taller than her that she could only do so metaphorically. “We expect every member of this family to attend every year. Julian is included in that even if he has been petulant and disobedient like a child this year. Not that I would expect someone like you to understand.”

Geralt looked at her with the expression Jaskier had lovingly deemed his “scary face” and tugged Jaskier closer to his side. “Hm. You are right. I don’t understand why you would treat your son as terribly as you do but fortunately for us, we’ll be spending next year with _our_ family. You see, Vesemir insists everyone attend every year. I’m sure you understand that.”

He didn’t wait for her to reply, turning around and taking Jaskier with him as he went. They walked away from the cold estate as Mrs Pankratz sputtered, spitting mad, in the entranceway. Geralt didn’t look back, but Jaskier glanced over his shoulder. He smiled at his mother and waved goodbye. He wouldn’t be seeing her for a very long time, after all.

* * *

“Geralt? Darling? Light of my life? Sweet angel baby who was sent down from heaven to bless me with his presence in my life-”

“Beloved.”

“Why, oh why, is there hundreds of pictures on my facebook timeline of Valdo Marx walking down the street covered in what looks like piss?”

Geralt froze. “Why… do you think I would know?”

Jaskier grinned and walked over to where Geralt sat on the sofa and ducked down to kiss his lover softly. When he pulled back, Geralt chased after his lips, gasping, with his eyes still closed.

“Are you going to tell me the truth now, darling? I know for a fact he left my family’s Christmas party after talking to you.”

Geralt blushed and avoided his eyes. “I-I apologise, beloved. I did not mean to upset you.”

“Upset me? Darling, if you really made Valdo piss his pants and run off home like a scared little boy, you’ll have made me the happiest man alive.”

“It would make you happy?” Geralt looked nervously up at him from beneath long lashes. “It wouldn’t scare you?”

“Scare me? Darling, of course it wouldn’t scare me!”  
“But… after what he did to you… I didn’t think you’d… I mean… “

Jaskier cupped Geralt’s face with one hand and Geralt leaned into his palm. “Darling, you could never scare me. You’re you. You- you’re _Geralt!_ You’re the least terrifying person I’ve ever met. I have no idea how you even got Valdo scared of you enough to wet himself in fear!”

“… scary face.” Geralt mumbled, blushing harder.

Jaskier laughed, startled, light and delighted. He pressed another kiss to Geralt’s lips. For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to next Christmas. He would get to spend it with darling lover, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the inspiration for this fic off a tumblr post by rftwfic.
> 
> Please do let me know if you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
